The Gloves Are Off A week after Roku kicked YouTube TV off its platform, Google countered by adding a live TV service to its YouTube app.

Now, if Roku wants to stay strong, it must also kick out the YouTube app and risk the wrath of all the YouTube-loving streamers who have purchased the company's devices.

This news comes from The Verge, which reports that Google is also considering other workarounds. This is not the first time such a corporate war has been waged, always to the detriment of customers. Roku claims that Google is demanding its own preferential treatment for its apps, obtaining sensitive customer data that other companies do not have, and manipulating search results.

Google also wants Roku to support AV1 video decoding, which could increase the cost of Roku devices. In response, Google points to a recent history of Roku app issues where HBO Max, Peacock, and others have had to do construction to get into Roku devices.

In a blog post, the YouTube team claimed that "despite our best efforts to reach an agreement for the mutual benefit of our users, Roku terminated our agreement in bad faith during our negotiations. Unfortunately, Roku often engages in such tactics with other streaming providers."

According to The Verge, the YouTube app will include "Go to YouTube TV" within the next few days, allowing users to navigate to YouTube TV within the YouTube app. This option will be available on other devices over time, but first on Roku. Google is also considering offering free streaming devices to YouTube TV members.

Such a need would only arise if Roku decides to remove the YouTube app from the device altogether. Currently, the only place where the YouTube TV app is no longer available on Roku is the Roku Channel Store, where the app is unlisted; those who still have the app on their Roku device or TV can still watch live TV. If Roku continues to play hardball, users will probably not be able to download the YouTube app again until this dispute is resolved.

And while YouTube TV is one of the most popular live TV services (with over 3 million users) and the best cable TV alternative, YouTube is a much bigger fish. More than 2 billion users log in to this video site every month, and those who like to project this platform onto their TVs rely on the YouTube app on their Roku and other devices.

Roku is the top streaming device platform in the U.S., with Fire TV in second place.